Ross Lyon signs deal to coach St Kilda

Ross Lyon has signed a three-year contract to take over as the new coach of AFL club St Kilda.

Lyon, 39, an assistant under Paul Roos at Sydney, beat a total of 52 candidates for the job including favourite John Longmire.

He succeeds Grant Thomas, who was controversially sacked just days after the Saints were dumped out in the opening week of the finals by Melbourne.

Lyon said that one of his first tasks at St Kilda would be to reunite the playing group, many of whom had enjoyed very close personal relationships with Thomas.

"Now is the time to look forward," Lyon said.

"The reality of AFL football is that you are going to work with a number of coaches and a number of player groups.

"I look forward to the challenge."

Lyon described St Kilda as being in the middle of "an exciting period" having played in the last three finals series.

"The challenge is to bridge the gap (to the pace-setting teams)," he said.

Lyon said he would be able to bring to the club systems and structures he had learnt during the past three years at Sydney.

He said no decisions had yet been made on his support staff although St Kilda president Rod Butters confirmed that Matt Rendell, an assistant under Thomas, had resigned and had declined to be interviewed for the senior position.

Lyon said one of his first tasks would be to chase an experienced ruckman.

But he refused to confirm whether or not he would try to lure Peter Everitt back to the club.

Everitt is currently locked in a trade battle between Hawthorn and Sydney.

Lyon played 127 games with Fitzroy and two games with Brisbane before he was forced out of the game through injury in 1995.

He was an assistant coach under Robert Walls at Richmond in 1996-99 before moving to Carlton where he assisted from 2000-2003.